Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas do mhuintir na hÉireann as a bheith ag éisteacht leis an gcáinaisnéis seo agus as an bhfoighne atá acu mar tá an comhthéacs atá againn an-dheacair, go háirithe leis an mBreatimeacht.

Budget 2020 is a document which must deal, first and foremost, with Brexit. The budget had to be drafted in the context of Brexit and we accept that. Brexit was not a decision of any Member of Dáil Éireann or any party represented here. Unfortunately, however, we must deal with its consequences as must the people. While my leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, foresaw this last December and predicted the impact of a no-deal Brexit might be such as to make it crucial for Fianna Fáil to remain within the confidence and supply agreement for one more budget, the reality of what he said is hitting home. People sometimes tell me that we should not use Brexit as an excuse, but the unfortunate reality is that up to 60,000 jobs may be lost. Those are the jobs of 60,000 real people. This is the danger my leader foresaw last year and the reason we felt stability of Government - notwithstanding the fact that we are not part of it - was necessary in the national interest. We are looking at the possible loss of €6.5 billion from the economy and at dangerous political ramifications, particularly in the North of Ireland and along the Border. We accept that the funds we might otherwise wish to see allocated in the budget are not necessarily available at this juncture.

It is worth recalling the gains from the confidence and supply agreement, especially those relating to education. We have the lowest pupil-teacher ratio on record, guidance counselling has been restored in schools and postgraduate grants have been restored to the poorest citizens to enable them to achieve their full educational potential. Despite the knock-on effect of Brexit, the budget has achieved some good with regard to education that it would be churlish to fail to recognise. While the Government has announced the recruitment of 150 mainstream teachers to deal, mainly, with demographic changes, the provision of additional special education staff is noteworthy and welcome. The House will recall that in the past four months Fianna Fáil has twice moved motions on the education of children with special needs calling for additional resources and better planning. We are glad to see that result in an additional 408 special education teachers, which we hope has an impact.

The greatest challenge for the Government is to plan that special education spend. It is very easy for parties to agree something good, as we have, but it is more difficult to deliver, which is the Government's greatest failing. While we continue to have children without a school place for the current school year, there are other children without a suitable place. Ministers announce extra special classes in the Taoiseach's constituency and a new special school, all of which is welcome, but they were not open on 1 September last. Indeed, some of those are not open to this day. While Fianna Fáil has raised the issue of special education on a number of occasions, I pay tribute to "Prime Time" which has aired a number of episodes since the summer and had a remarkable impact on the public mood in the context of special needs education as we have seen what families are experiencing on foot of the lack of suitable places for children. It may not affect every family, but families in general can relate to what the people we saw on "Prime Time" have gone through for the sake of their children.

One in four children with an intellectual disability is being put on a short school day illegally. This must end. Over 850 children with special needs received home tuition last year because school places could not be found for them. School places in Dublin 15 have not been delivered while there is a major problem in Cork and south County Dublin, which we have highlighted previously. Next September's intake must be planned now. In fact, it should have been planned a few years ago when the demographic information was made available. We have asked the Minister for Education and Skills to start planning and I want to know what he is doing, other than announcing good news. While it is important to have progress, the Minister must tell us what planning is taking place between the Department and the National Council for Special Education. Without the proper planning, simply throwing in 408 special education teachers will not solve the policy of containment we have outlined and which has been described by families and teacher on television. A highly-focused approach with the child at its centre is required.

It is welcome to see additional funding being provided for the school transport scheme. However, there will be concern that the €26 million involved is mainly for special needs education. While this sounds fantastic and is a welcome development, the reality is as I have described it on a number of occasions. One child from a family goes 15 miles to the south while another child in the same family travels ten miles to the east. That is what is happening. The Department and the National Council for Special Education are finding places, no matter where they are. Children are being bused or sent in taxis to these schools rather than travelling to their local school, which is the ideal. It is wrong and it is not the education guaranteed in the provision Éamon de Valera wisely put in our Constitution. What one gets as a result is this increase in the budget for special needs transport, which is the last thing we want to be spending money on. We should be spending it on education in those children's local schools to which they could walk, be driven by parents or carried on shorter bus journeys. Instead, we are dealing with the problem on an ad hocbasis and without planning. As a result, some children are left without an education while those who get places are getting them in geographically unsuitable locations.

I have raised with the Minister, by means of a letter and in person last night, the need to sit down with Fianna Fáil to discuss how the discretionary bus scheme, for which some money is provided in the budget, can be dealt with. I understand that a small number of the overall problems were solved this summer at incredibly low cost compared with what was stated publicly. That gives me hope that a modest sum could resolve the school bus problem for the general school population. In fairness to the Minister, he spoke out about the matter during the summer and I am certainly willing to work with him on it.

There are areas of huge disappointment for education in this budget. Higher education stands out as an area in which there is drift.While there is an increase in the national training fund levy, all of which is hypothecated and will be used for good things, and the human capital investment, which we have yet to see, is a further investment, these are not the sum of what is required. Another year has gone by without any vision for higher education from the Government. The Irish Universities Association reports a real deficit of €138 million in core funding by comparison with what is needed according to the Cassels report. Everyone accepts the figures set out in the Cassels report on what is needed, but that deficit remains. It is a gap that must be filled. Our university rankings are going down the Swannee and that is not fair on our young people and academics. By and large, our young people receive a reasonably good education at primary level, unless they are in the special needs category where things are a disgrace. By and large, they get a reasonably top-class education at second level. We are letting them down dramatically thereafter, however, and that is not fair, particularly when they are paying a substantial premium to attend university or third level.

The Cassels report has been lying idle on the Minister's desk for more than three years despite these very real concerns. The Oireachtas joint committee is often blamed but Peter Cassels stated that an economic study should be undertaken before any decision is made. The joint committee could not carry out that study and the Government took a long time to decide to send the report to the European Commission. We await the outcome from Brussels. We have seen solo runs on third level fees, but no commitment to action. It is not good enough from this Fine Gael Government which has no vision or interest in third level. On this side of the House, we see education as a prize to be grabbed and an opportunity for all citizens, not something to be reserved for the few. While I have great respect for the Provost of Trinity College, Mr. Paddy Prendergast, I cannot accept his contention that student numbers be restricted at university. That will not happen under Fianna Fáil. Unfortunately, we have had no strong statement from the Government and if the Fine Gael drift continues, that is the way it will go.

Deputy Micheál Martin has suggested that a Department of higher education and research is necessary. Such a Department could not get away with having a report like that of Peter Cassels on the desk for years. It could not get away with the slow pace of research funding.

It could not get away with the failure to tackle the tumbling university rankings. Such a department should be established to fundamentally change the relationship between the State and educational establishments, to establish a trust and partnership which allows them to develop, arrest the decline and provide the high quality, world class education that our young people deserve.

I note the overspending in the Department relating to retirements and the failure to predict them. The Department promised faithfully last year that it would get the figures for retirements right and it has failed yet again. That has again thrown our figures into confusion and we look forward to the Revised Estimates. We will raise those matters at that point.

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